Several types of memory devices, such as Flash memories, use arrays of analog memory cells for storing data. Each analog memory cell stores a quantity of an analog value, also referred to as a storage value, such as an electrical charge or voltage. This analog value represents the information stored in the cell. In Flash memories, for example, each analog memory cell holds a certain amount of electrical charge. The range of possible analog values is typically divided into intervals, each interval corresponding to one or more data bit values. Data is written to an analog memory cell by writing a nominal analog value that corresponds to the desired bit or bits.
Some memory devices, commonly referred to as Single-Level Cell (SLC) devices, store a single bit of information in each memory cell, i.e., each memory cell can be programmed to assume either of two possible programming levels. Higher-density devices, often referred to as Multi-Level Cell (MLC) devices, store two or more bits per memory cell, i.e., can be programmed to assume more than two possible programming levels.
The performance of some types of analog memory cells deteriorates as a function of use (e.g., as a function of the number (or rate) of Programming and Erasure (P/E) cycles applied to the cells). This property is sometimes referred to as cell wearing. Some data storage techniques attempt to distribute cell wearing evenly among different groups of memory cells. These techniques are commonly referred to as wear leveling techniques.
PCT International Publication WO 2008/077284, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a wear leveling method for non-volatile memory. An embodiment includes counting erase cycles for each of a set of multiple memory blocks of a non-volatile memory, including incrementing a first count for a physical block address of the memory block. If the memory block is not a spare memory block, a second count for a logical block address of the memory block is incremented. The method also determines whether the memory has uneven wear of memory blocks based on the counting of the erase cycles of the plurality of memory blocks.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0208904, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a wear leveling apparatus, which uniformly distributes wear over a nonvolatile memory containing a plurality of memory blocks. The apparatus includes a memory unit for storing a record of cold block candidates in the nonvolatile memory and a control unit configured to update the memory unit and release the cold block candidates under a threshold condition. The control unit selects a new memory block to replace one cold block candidate in the memory unit when the cold block candidate is matched with a written address in a write command for the nonvolatile memory. The cold block candidates remaining in the memory unit are identified as cold blocks when the nonvolatile memory has been written more than a predetermined write count threshold. The memory blocks with infrequent erasure can be identified and released to uniformly distribute wear over the nonvolatile memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,233, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a mass storage system made of Flash memory cells organized into blocks, the blocks in turn being grouped into memory banks. The system is managed to even out the numbers of erase and rewrite cycles experienced by the memory banks in order to extend the service lifetime of the system. Relative use of the memory banks is monitored and, in response to detection of uneven use, memory banks have their physical addresses periodically swapped for each other in order to even out their use over the lifetime of the memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,441,067, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a re-programmable non-volatile memory system, such as a Flash system, having its memory cells grouped into blocks of cells that are simultaneously erasable. The system is operated in a manner to level out the wear of the individual blocks through repetitive erasing and re-programming. Wear leveling may be accomplished without use of counts of the number of times the individual blocks experience erase and re-programming but such counts can optionally aid in carrying out the wear leveling process. Individual active physical blocks are chosen to be exchanged with those of an erased block pool in a predefined order.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,865,761, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a data storage apparatus includes a set of memory modules, an interface and a main controller coupled to the each memory module and to the interface. The interface is arranged to communicate with a set of external devices. The main controller is arranged to (i) store data within and (ii) retrieve data from the memory of the set of memory modules in an uneven manner on behalf of the set of external devices to unevenly wear out the memory modules over time.